Antonio bint



(No Model.)

A. BINI.

MANDOLIN. No. 362,417. Patented May 3, 1887.

l/VVENTO W/T/VESSES:

.VL.LW W. I W I I @ZM/g A N, PETERS, PhnOo-Lilhographur, Washing\un. 11C.

UNITED STATES ANTONIO BINI, or BROOKLYN, ASSIGNOR TO AUGUST POLLMANN, or new YORK, N. Y.

PATENT OFFICE.

MANDOLIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 362,417, dated May 3,1887.

Application filed October 19, 1886. Serial No. $6,663. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANTONIO BINI, ofBrooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mandolins, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements ina stringed instrument known as the mandolin, which heretofore has been constructed with a body closed at the bottom, having an opening in its top, and a neck, on which neck and body eight strings were arranged in four pairs.

The object of my invention is to provide a mandolin which is so constructed that a greater number of tones can be produced, and thesame played either in the same manner as a banjo or as a mandolin, combining thereby the advantages of both instruments in one.

The invention consists in a mandolin-body provided with a neck, at the end of which the winding'keys for the strings are arranged, a portion of the neck being widened to receive an additional string, the winding-key-ofwhich projects from the side of the neck.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is aface view of my improved mandolin. 2 is a side view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The mandolinbody A is constructed, in the usual manner, with a flat bottom, as shown in full lines, or with a bulge body, as shown in dotted lines, said body having the usual openings, B, in its face. The body is provided with a neck, 0, which is considerably longer than the usual mandolinneck, and is provided with a head, D, in which the windingkeys E are held, to each of which a string, F, is fastened, the opposite ends of the strings being fastened to the tail-piece H on the face of the mandolin; or said tail-piece can be held on the end of the body of the mandolin.

The neck 0 is provided on theleft-hand edge, looking at the front of the instrument, with a projection, H, extending about slightly more than half of the length of the neck, and at the upper end of said neck or projection a winding-key, J, projects from the side of the neck, and to said key an auxiliary string, K, is fast ened, which is also fastened to the tail-piece. I prefer to arrange the instrument with four strings, F, of which the one at the right-hand edge of the neck has the highest pitch, the second string a lower pitch, and third a still lower pitch, and the fourth the lowest.

The string K has a still higher pitch than the extreme right-hand string F.

A scale-board, M, is formed on' the neck, and over the said sealeboard all the strings pass. Only single strings are used, and in place of eight strings arranged in four pairs in the old mandolin I have arranged five strings. By means of these five strings I am abie to pro duce a greater variety and number of tones than in the ordinary mandolin, and play it either as a mandolin or a banjo.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent A mandolin constructed with a mandolinbody having an opening in its face, a neck having a lateral projection on one edge, extending about half the length of the neck, four strings fastened to windingkeys on the head of the neck and to a tail-piece on the body, and a 5 fifth or thumb string fastened to the tail-piece on the body and to a winding-key at the end of the lateral projection on the neck, all said strings being independent of each other and extending over the opening in the face of the mandolinbody, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANTONIO BlNI.

\Vitnesses:

PAUL GonrnL, llL-rn'rrn PETRY. 

